Weekend Birding: Charlie the Lovebird

It’s been a crazy week for me. Helping a family member move house took up most of my free time. There was little left for reading, only a few hours for audiobooks and no time to write.

Instead of wild birds this week I have some photos Charlie, the lovebird I adopted last year. Charlie’s family could no longer care for him and left him at a shelter. Several weeks after Charlie arrived I discovered he was a she when she began to lay eggs.

Charlie has tried to nest three times now and is always on the look out for a good nesting spot. Lovebirds are cavity nesters and in the wild will choose a spot in a hollow tree or a nesting box.

For lovebirds living inside a house with no trees, kitchen cabinets are an especially appealing place to attempt to nest. There are plenty of boxes and packages to shred for bedding and it’s dark and comfy in the back.

Above, she is posing on a package of Chips Ahoy cookies looking deceptively sweet and charming. Try to remove her and she will not hesitate to nip. Females are very territorial when they have claimed a perch. Lovebirds have large, sharp beaks for shredding and chewing.

I let her play for a few minutes and then coaxed her out of the cabinet by offering a favorite towel. She can’t resist playing with a towel. It’s a great distraction and prevents my hand from getting bit. Then I quickly shut the cabinet door.

Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. For the summer it will be hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

I’ve had parakeets and cockatiels in my life, but no more now because birds really need a knowledgeable parent/handler to deal with them (stubborn!) if they are left loose, and I hated to keep them caged up, even in large cages. Good luck with her–she is a beauty!

Yes, they need a lot of attention. Most people don’t realize that even birds bred in captivity are not domesticated and are wild animals.

Charlie is a rescue and my goal was to provide her with a happy home. She has an extra large cage because it is not safe for her to be out unless I am home. She was never trained, fears hands, loud noises and hats, and will chew and shred anything and everything unless I’m there to distract her.

If I want her to do something she doesn’t want to do, her response is to bite. This probably worked well for her in her original home. It doesn’t work with me. I’ve gotten very good at reading her body language and use distraction when I see a biting situation coming on. I can get her back in the cage now in less than a minute without a fuss.

She is terrified of hands and won’t jump on a finger or let me touch her without biting, so the rescue group suggested using a towel. She had no problem jumping on a towel and now I’ve made it into a game. She hasn’t bit my toes yet but I”m sure she would if I gave her the opportunity! I would love to have a few chickens but my town doesn’t allow them… yet.

I’ve been told birds are a lot like small children when it comes to motivation … and stubbornness too. They operate at about the same level as a 2 year-old child, except the bird never grows out of it!